Swissto12, a leading Swiss aerospace manufacturer specializing in 3D-printed satellite payloads and systems, has raised $70 million in a Series C funding round. The company announced the fresh capital injection July 16, 2026, aimed at scaling up production capacity to meet a surge in commercial and government demand for its signature “small GEO” satellite platform, the HummingSat.
The round closes as Swissto12 reports an active contract backlog exceeding $500 million. This portfolio includes subsystem orders, multi-orbit payloads, and agreements for complete satellite integrations.
The Rise of Small GEO
Historically, geostationary (GEO) communication satellites have been massive, school bus-sized machines requiring hundreds of millions of dollars to build and launch. However, the aggressive growth of low Earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellations has severely disrupted the market for traditional, legacy GEO spacecraft.
In response, legacy operators are shifting toward smaller, more targeted geostationary systems.
HummingSat, which is roughly the size of a household washing machine, leverages advanced 3D-printing technologies to drastically reduce production lead times, structural mass, and overall costs.
“Small GEO is increasingly viewed as a solution for multi-orbit, disaggregated constellations..There is huge interest here, both for targeted commercial missions and for governments seeking a sovereign strategic backbone for satellite communications.”
– Emile de Rijk, Swissto12’s Chief Executive
To date, Swissto12 has secured orders for seven HummingSats. The first unit is scheduled for completion in 2027 for the legacy global satellite operator SES.
HummingSat Backlog and Launch Pipeline
Swissto12 has cultivated a diverse mix of commercial, navigation, and data relay customers for its small GEO bus:
| Customer | Satellite | Mission Profile | Planned Completion |
| SES | Intelsat-45 | Ku-band FSS and BSS media services | 2027 |
| Viasat | 4x Inmarsat-8 | L-band safety communications & SBAS navigation | 2028 |
| Astrium Mobile | Neastar-1 | L-band direct-to-device media broadcast | 2028 |
| Space Compass | SC-A | Commercial optical data relay | 2029 |
Development of the HummingSat platform has been closely supported by European institutions. This includes an $84.8 million award announced in January 2026 from European Space Agency (ESA) member states through the agency’s ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) program.
A Unique Business Model
The fundraising announcement comes amid intensifying competition in the small GEO landscape. In May 2026, U.S.-based competitor Astranis raised $450 million to expand its own small GEO assembly lines.
However, Swissto12 and Astranis employ entirely different commercial strategies. While Astranis maintains ownership of its spacecraft and leases out functional capacity to customers under a “Satellite-as-a-Service” framework, Swissto12 operates as a traditional hardware supplier; its customers fully own and operate the HummingSats they purchase.
Swissto12 was spun out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in 2011. The firm originally made its mark by manufacturing highly complex, lightweight 3D-printed radio frequency (RF) components and antennas. Today, over 2,000 of its products are operational in space across various orbits.
This diversified portfolio is driving substantial financial momentum. The company generated $140 million in revenue in 2025 and expects its robust backlog to yield positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) by the end of 2026. Swissto12 has maintained a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 110% since 2022, when it booked its very first HummingSat order.
